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If you like sloppy joes, or cheese, or both, you’ll love this easy recipe for Cheesy Sloppy Joes! A touch of cheddar and Velveeta makes a standard sloppy joe sandwich absolutely mouth-watering!

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What goes well with sloppy joes? Y’all, I’ve experimented with everything! Garlic bread tastes good with sloppy joes. Or Tex-Mex flavors like chipotle. And a touch of American cheese and toasted bread. And …
Well, I think you get the picture!! However, one of my favorite recipes is this recipe for Cheesy Sloppy Joes! It’s a small twist on your usual sloppy joe sandwich, but oh my gosh, does it make a difference. You add cheddar and Velveeta into the mix, and suddenly you’re in heaven. Plus, it’s 100% family-friendly because, let’s face it, what kid is going to turn down cheese?!
We’ll make our sloppy joe sauce from scratch in this recipe. It’s actually very simple and quick and uses the same ingredients that Manwich uses more or less. But if all you have at home is Manwich, you can still use this recipe. Just skip the part where you make your own sauce and go straight to adding all that tasty, tasty cheese. It works perfectly!
I’ve made myself hungry just writing this post, I think I’m going to need to make these tonight! You should, too! Especially if you’ve got a family to feed.
Sloppy joes are ALREADY amazing … and this easy recipe just takes them to a whole new level. It’s amazing what a little cheese can do! 😉 Enjoy!
Cheesy Sloppy Joes: Ingredients & Substitutions
For this Cheesy Sloppy Joes recipe, you will need …
Ingredients
- ground beef – you can also use ground turkey, pork, chicken, etc., whatever you prefer.
- onion, green pepper, light brown sugar, yellow mustard, vinegar, salt, and ketchup – these ingredients form a sloppy joe sauce that rivals even the store brands!
- Velveeta cheese, cheddar cheese – you’ll combine your sloppy joe sauce with cheese to make it, well, cheesy!
- hamburger buns – toasted, if desired.
How to make Cheesy Sloppy Joes
First, prep your beef. Brown and crumble the ground beef in a medium skillet until it’s no longer pink. Drain the extra liquid/fat if necessary!!
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Next, add your sloppy joe sauce. We’ll be making it homemade this time around!! Throw in the onions, green pepper, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is as thick as you want it. (It’ll thicken the longer it cooks!)
Finally, add the cheese and serve it up! Mix in the Velveeta until the cheese is fully melted, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in half of the cheddar cheese until it’s well combined. Serve this mixture on hamburger buns with the remaining cheddar. Yum!
Sloppy Joes with Cheese: FAQs
Just 10 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cook time. A quick dinner for sure!
This recipe should make 6 sloppy joes, more or less. It’ll depend on portion size, as always.
Absolutely!! The meat/sauce mixture in an airtight container should remain fine for 3-4 days.
That’s fine too! The mixture will stay fresh for 3 or so months. Again, use an appropriate container. Just let it defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving again.
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Cheesy Sloppy Joes
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 8 oz. Velveeta cheese, chopped
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
- Brown and crumble the ground beef in a medium skillet until no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
- Add the onions, green pepper, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, salt, and ketchup, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. The sauce will thicken more the longer it cooks.
- Add the Velveeta to the beef mixture, stirring until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in half of the Cheddar until melted and well combined.
- Serve the beef mixture on hamburger buns with the remaining Cheddar.
Notes
- You can use ground chicken, turkey, or pork in place of ground beef.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.